Born 83 Years Ago Today In Alberta, This Folk Legend Revolutionized Guitar Tuning

No matter how many popular songs and artists wield alternate guitar tunings beyond standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning, the debate rages about whether or not such choices constitute cheating. To some, they're a lame way out of making difficult chord shapes. But if a master songwriter like folk titan Joni Mitchell used them, who are we to argue?

Born on November 7, 1943, in the tiny Canadian town of Fort Macleod, Alberta, located north of Montana, Mitchell took to guitar and songwriting out of sympathetic, altruistic urges while recovering from polio as a child. She started performing for other patients, and continued on the same path all the way to studying art in college and eventually moving to New York City in the mid-'60s. By 1968, she'd released her debut under Reprise Records, "Songs to a Seagull," an album that showcased her sensitivity, lyrical craft, and delicate finger-stylings right from the get-go. It's a remarkable debut, especially for a young person, and it presaged later songs by Mitchell like "Both Sides Now," which musicians flocked to cover. Mitchell went on to become one of the most highly respected musicians of the last century, cultivating songs that embodied the poetic soul of folk music. Along the way, she garnered heaps of commercial and critical success, including 11 Grammy wins.

Throughout her career, Mitchell used non-standard tuning: Only two of her songs feature typical E-A-D-G-B-E tuning — "Tin Angel" and "Urge for Going." Aside from her many other achievements, this also makes her something of a pioneer in the realms of guitar playing and tuning.

Anyone who's tried to sing and play guitar at the same time knows how tough it is, hence the whole "cheat code" argument regarding alternate tuning; supposedly, if you're good enough, you don't need it. Joni Mitchell took the opposite approach and focused on the impact of the final song rather than impressing anyone with her technicality. You can choose practically any of her songs, even the opening track "I Had a King" from her debut LP, which features gorgeous finger-picking across broken chords, and hear her technique at play. She also blends picking with occasional strumming in an organic, fluid way that lets the guitar feel like an extension of her body and emotions in the moment.

Much of Mitchell's technique comes from her guitar tuning, which allows her to play other chord shapes in a simpler way. More strings ring open, which lets their sound overlap and shimmer over time, much like a harp. For instance, Mitchell has cited open-D tuning as a go-to, where the strings, when played together open, make a D major chord (D A D F#A D). Such tunings are somewhat well-known nowadays, but were less so in the '60s. 

As a result of using such alternative tunings, Mitchell could focus on her voice and feelings while performing, as well as think differently about songwriting when not on stage; this is the best possible use of alternate tunings. Guitarists looking to emulate her style should give it a go — just don't expect it to be as easy as one of the easiest beginner guitar songs, like "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan.